Homemade Holiday Gifts Ideas?

food. always food. I get my teenager and my kids invovled. Over a couple of days time we make 4 or 5 differant types of sweets. Peppermint bark, toffee squares, white trash or puppy chow, cookies. I also buy some things to put in like chocloate covered pretzels. I buy tissue paper and a dozen little containers. FIll with a handful of each sweet and that's that. The people in my life beg for them and get soooo excited when I finally get them ready and hand them out.

Last year my landlords wife made us a pretty rum cake on a christmas platter from the dollar store and gave us that with a bottle of wine. Probably didn't cost $10 total, but I thought it was the nicest, most thoughtful gift.

I second the tin of holiday treats. My mom always did this for people she wanted to give gifts to at Christmas (my teachers, some extended family members, etc.) but didn't have the money to buy all of those extra gifts for. She would get these really cute (and cheap) metal Christmas tins and fill them with homemade treats. People LOVED getting those tins!

And I would definitely gamble that these people on your list would be much happier with yummy homemade treats than a lame gift!

Do you know how to crochet? It's REALLY easy. There are some AWESOME tutorials on you-tube. You can make everybody a pretty hat. Once you get the hang of it, they only take 1-2 hours from start-finish. :) (Scarves are "easier" but they take longer.)
Otherwise, a Christmas-themed ice cream pail full of home-made hot cocoa (I haven't checked how much this is going to cost--cause I'm planning on doing this this year--but if it's too expensive, then just make a jar full of home-made hot cocoa.)
These are the kinds of things I'm doing this year. Good luck!!! :-)

Homemade vanilla - the beans are a bit pricey but buy them in bulk from Costco or Amazon to save money.

Homemade herbed salt - google for recipes

I make fudge, bark, and pecan cookies and put them in christmas tins. For the girls in my family I make jewelry-usually earrings or bracelets. You can find a jewelry kit at any Michael's or crafts store. It's fairly simple, and fun.

Luminaries
Take bean cans, wash out
Remove paper and gummy glue
Fill with water, freeze
Drill out small holes in a pettern
Paint

fleece pillows
two colors fleece, cut in circle, heart, or square
put together
Cut fringe on both pieces
tie the ends off
stuff with polyfil or you can tie off the ends and make it a pillow case with pillow forms from Walmart

Felt/button picture
take felt. blue, green, red
sew buttons very close together in the shape of a tree, stocking, star
affix in cheap frame from garage/church sales-don't even need the glass

Cookie/muffin mixes in a jar
put all the dry ingredients for cookies or muffins layered ina jar. Cut directions out of cardstock. tie to jar

Apple sauce cinnamon ornaments.
For family--tee shirts the kids decorate with hand prints
Any jelly you can make, peppers are good now
apple jelly

My mom and sister are getting a string of chilies, some pepper jelly, and a cute slotted spoon from the cook store in the mall. THey were 3 for $5 or something like that. They are slotted in the shape of cat and dog faces.

If they are coffee drinkers, I have super easy homemade recipes for both flavored coffees and flavored coffee creamers I could email you. You can get containers for them at the dollar store. If you or anyone else wants them, just message me your email address and I'll send it over. I did them and everyone loved them. =)

I would tell them no adult gifts this year and just buy for the kids.. people under when others are on a tight budget.. that is what we do..